Picture book



June 21, 1966 F. SCHNEIDER 3,257,128

PICTURE BOOK Filed May 11, 1964 //V VE N 7' 0R Frzdrzbk Sc'zzez'der WWWpages.

United States Patent 3,257,128 PICTURE BOOK Friedrich Schneider, 9Maximiliansplatz, Munich, Germany Filed May 11, 1964, Ser. No. 366,344Claims priority, application Germany, June 25, 1963,

' Sch 33,456

2 Claims. (Cl. 281-39) This invention relates to picture books, and moreparticularly to a picture book for very young children. Because of thenormal conditions under which such picture books are used, they shouldresist wear and tear, and are preferably capable of being cleaned withwater and soap. Any object to be handled by a very young child should besafe under all conceivable circumstances.

The primary object of the invention is the provision of a picture bookwhich meets the above requirements. An additional object is theprovision of a picture book which is soft and pliable enough not toinjure a child, yet of such structure that pages tend to present flatpicture carrying surfaces.

With these and other objects in view, the invention, in one of itsaspects, provides a book having a plurality of Each page has two facingmembers of pliable foil material, substantially impervious to water, anda core member of resiliently compressible plate material interposedbetween the facing members. The pages are hingedly connected formovement relative to each other.

Other features and the attendant advantages of this invention willbecome apparent from the'following detailed description of a preferredembodiment when taken with the appended drawing in which:

FIG. 1 shows a book of the invention in fragmentary perspective view;

FIG. 2 shows a portion of the book of FIG. 1 in elevational section onthe line II-II; and

FIG. 3 is an elevational side view of the book of FIG. 1 in the foldedcondition,

Referring now to the drawing in detail, there are seen three pages 14,16, 18 of a picture book. The book essentially consists of two elongatedfoils 10, 12 of pliable waterproof plastic, such as plasticizedpolyvinyl chloride, and several rectangular plates 20 of foamed rubberor plastics, such as polyurethane plastic.

The two foils 10, 12 are superimposed in each page on the opposite majorfaces of the corresponding plate 20 so as to form a laminar structure inwhich the plate 20 constitutes a core faced by the foil material. 10, 12are wider than the corresponding dimensions of the plates 20, and theplates are spaced from each other in the direction of elongation of thefoils. The projecting rim portions of the two foils in each page arebonded to each other so as to form two longitudinal seals 22 and twotransverse, sealed hinges 23 associated with each page and extendingfrom one seal 22 to the other.

As better seen in FIG. 2, the foils 10, 12 are of uniform thicknessexcept along a crease 24 where they are reduced in thickness. Each foilthus has longitudinally alternating facing and hinge portions. The hingeportions are bonded to each other and include parts of reduced thicknessalong the crease 24 which extends over the full width of the book. Thecreases facilitate folding --of the book in accordion fashion asillustrated in FIG. 3.

The foils The three substantially identical pages 14, 16, 18 carryrespective image imprints of a ball 15, a cube 17, and of a rattle 19.These are merely illustrative of the objects whose pictorialrepresentations are usually incorporated in picture books for the veryyoung.

In making a picture book of the invention, the image imprints are firstapplied to one or both of the foils 10,

12 by screen printing or any other suitable method not in itselfrelevant to this invention. The several plates 20 are then positioned onthe blank face of one of the foils in longitudinallyspaced-relationship, and the other foil is superimposed on the plates.The foils 10, 12 are then bonded to each other about each plate 20,preferably by welding, thereby sealing each plate in a conforming pocketof pliable material impervious to water.

The welded double layer of foil material between two adjacent plates 20constitutes the hinge element of the book. The creases 24 may be formedduring welding by heat and pressure, or they may be formed in a separate operation.

The picture books of the invention are virtually indestructible by meansavailable to their normal users. They are readily cleaned by washing,The cellular core of each page is sufiiciently compressible to perm-itsome deformation of the page, and .thus to avoid injury to a child uponimpact, but the resilience of the core tends to restore the normal flatshape of each page.

It should be understood, of course, that the foregoing disclosurerelates to only a preferred embodiment of the invention, and that it isintended to cover all changes and modifications of the example of theinvention here in chosen for the purpose of the disclosure which do notconstitute departures from the spirit and scope of the invention setforth in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A washable childrens picture book comprising, in combination:

(a) two superposed elongated foil members of pliable materialsubstantially impervious to water, said foil members havinglongitudinally alternating face portions and hinge portions;

(b) at least three substantially identical plate-shaped core members ofresilient, soft and pliable foam rubber or foam plastic,

(1) each core member being interposed between respective face portionsof said foil members and longitudinally spaced from the other coremembers,

(2) the respective hinge portions of said foil members being bonded toeach other longitudinally intermediate said core members,

(3) said foil members having respective rim portions projecting fromsaid face portions transversely of the direction of elongation of saidfoil members,

(4) the rim portions of one foil member being bonded to the rim portionsof the other foil member, whereby the bonded hinge and rim portionsjointly constitute a seal between said foil members about each coremember; and

(c) an image imprint on each face portion.

2. A book as set forth in claim 1, wherein said face portions andrespective parts of each hinge portion adjacent said face portions areof substantially uniform thickness, and a part of each hinge portionelongated transversely of said direction of elongation is of reducedthickness.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS Brelsford et a1.53-180 Rankin 28129 X Forg-o 53180 Peterson 281-29 LAURENCE CHARLES,Primary Examiner.

EUGENE R, CAPOZIO, Examiner.

1. A WASHABLE CHILDREN''S PICTURE BOOK COMPRISING, IN COMBINATION: (A)TWO SUPERPOSED ELONGATED FOIL MEMBERS OF PLIABLE MATERIAL SUBSTANTIALLYIMPERVIOUS TO WATER, SAID FOIL MEMBERS HAVING LONGITUDINALLY ALTERNATINGFACE PORTIONS AND HINGE PORTIONS; (B) AT LEAST THREE SUBSTANTIALLYIDENTICAL PLATE-SHAPED CORE MEMBERS OF RESILIENT, SOFT AND PLIABLE FOAMRUBBER OR FOAM PLASTIC, (1) EACH CORE MEMBER BEING INTERPOSED BETWEENRESPECTIVE FACE PORTIONS OF SAID FOIL MEMBERS AND LONGITUDINALLY SPACEDFROM THE OTHER CORE MEMBERS, 32) THE RESPECTIVE HINGE PORTIONS OF SAIDFOIL MEMBERS BEING BONDED TO EACH OTHER LONGITUDINALLY INTERMEDIATE SAIDCORE MEMBERS, (3) SAID FOIL MEMBERS HAVING RESPECTIVE RIM PORTIONSPROJECTING FROM SAID FACE PORTIONS TRANSVERSELY OF THE DIRECTION OFELONGATION OF SAID FOIL MEMBERS, (4) THE RIM PORTIONS OF ONE FOIL MEMBERBEING BONDED TO THE RIM PORTIONS OF THE OTHER FOIL MEMBER, WHEREBY THEBONDED HINGE AND RIM PORTIONS JOINTLY CONSTITUTE A SEAL BETWEEN SAIDFOIL MEMBERS ABOUT EACH CORE MEMBER; AND (C) AN IMAGE IMPRINT ON EACHFACE PORTION.